[GALA Valencia 2024] What AI cannot replace—Investing in the future of conference interpreters

While NMT and generative AI have boosted translation beyond the realm of science fiction at Star Trek pace, the same can’t be said for conference interpretation. Technology has so far proven to be a risky substitute for the unique cultural awareness, technical knowledge and contextual acumen of conference interpreters. Yet since the pandemic triggered a rush to remote interpretation, conference interpreters have been suffering. Workplace incidents have spiked and hearing issues have become rampant, leading to increased sick leave and accommodation requirements, and severely impeding the capacity of an industry already known for its labour shortage.

Throughout the world, interpreter associations and service providers have been scrambling to redefine the precepts of interpreter health and safety and shore up an essential sector of the language market. In Canada, the Translation Bureau called upon the finest minds to better understand how remote interpretation is affecting interpreter hearing health. From speaker behaviour to equipment specifications, from frequency spectrum to digital compression, from Zoom fatigue to the duration of turns at the microphone, no stone has been left unturned.

Although much remains to be done, breakthroughs were achieved thanks to the innovative work of sound experts such as Dr. Sebastian Ghinet, acclaimed Senior Research Officer at Canada’s National Research Council and member of the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering.

Dr. Ghinet pioneered new methodologies to test the sound transmitted to interpreters within the Parliament of Canada. His work was and is instrumental in providing the Translation Bureau with the evidence-based data it needs to fine-tune its protection measures and implement its continuous improvement program. Join Dr. Ghinet and Translation Bureau CEO Dominic Laporte as they walk you through the collaborative, groundbreaking scientific exploration that was done in the relatively young field of remote conference interpretation.

Learn more about the data that was gathered and the resulting hearing protection measures, and gain insight on the proactive efforts made by the Translation Bureau to ensure interpreter health and safety, and support the industry’s capacity in the long term.

Host organization: Globalization and Localization Association